The Great Escape
by Misery Curtains
Summary: "You know, she hasn't said anything about you." Ulrich was silent. "How long has it been?" "About… four years?" "Christ…" (LEMON IN PART TWO)
1. Part One

"C'mon, c'mon, pick up already."

Ulrich Stern had been waiting outside the airport for an hour already, with his feet burning in their shoes. He could imagine his soles getting harder by the moment, callusing over to no end. His toes tapped in impatience, wondering what was holding his ride from getting here.

The sky was a pale but welcome blue. It expanded forever around his head, far away to the iron towers of downtown, all the way to the old industrial park, a place that gave Ulrich shivers through and through. The German tweaked his head to the right, moving the bangs out from his vision, only to have the wind teasingly push them back in front of his right eye. The military-green jacket that hung on his body shifted as he rolled his shoulders in their sockets, trying to ease the tension that'd been gathering in him since getting on the flight some hours earlier. He was on his cell phone, trying his best not to throw it, remembering what little he remembered of meditation techniques. But these days, he didn't try to think too much of those things. Cars of all makes and colours sped by rapidly, some carrying families, others businessmen sweaty and nervous, and then there were the shuttles transporting people either to or from the car park some five minutes walking distance away. The German twentysomething hadn't seen this place so busy before, but after the renovations that'd taken place some years after he left this town, he seemed to understand the excitement here. The airport did look a lot nicer than he remembered.

Some feet away from him was a little girl, holding a stuffed ghost in her arms. She stood next to her mother, a woman in her forties, as they waited for traffic to clear up a bit so they cross the street to the multi-level parking lot. The girl seemed to look at him with curious little eyes, and when Ulrich noticed this, he gave a tiny grin and, without lifting his arm, waved a tiny wave to her. She seemed to blush and smile and wave back before her mother beckoned her to follow. Away she went, the little stranger, and Ulrich felt something weird twinge in him. Nothing to be worried about, he thought.

In the other direction, following the flow of traffic on his side of the road, came a bright green car rocketing down the street, passing by any normal speeding automobiles in an attempt to upset them all. The green rocket screeched to a sloppy halt, painting hasty black markings in its wake. The passenger door slammed open, and an all-too recognizable face peered over to him, big stupid grin and wild hairstyle and all. Hell, the purple diamond in his hair was still there.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! Had some unexpected company at the last moment!" There sat Odd Della Robbia, former classmate of Ulrich's and long-time friend. The two, amazingly, had remained friends for all these years, despite Odd's stink-feet and Ulrich's temper bringing them to blows on more than one occasion. But this time, Ulrich couldn't be more happy to see him. Ulrich walked to the car, threw his duffle bag in the backseat, and got in, slamming the door behind him. "Yeah, yeah. Tell me, you forgot about today, didn't you?"

"Um… well, I may have overslept a bit."

"Odd, man, I told you like fifty times, my plane was gonna be here at noon, it's like two now!"

"Oh, c'mon, just be happy to see me!"

Ulrich gave a grin, immediately giving into the Italian boy's charm. "Dammit… yeah, I guess I'm pretty happy to see you, Odd."

"Likewise!"

The car sped off, zipping around slow minivans and lumbering shuttles, finally hitting the highway to take them to Odd's place. The city remained something of an unchanged relic on the outside, but along the streets that Ulrich and his friends once roamed, things had transformed the city of the iron tower into a far more different beast than he recalled.

"So, good buddy, what's new with you?" Odd asked, breaking Ulrich's concentration on all the new stores that littered the place. "Oh, nothing much. Finished up my time in Asia, nailed second place." The German felt a loving punch to the shoulder knock him for a loop. "Hey, that's great! You win any money?" "Yeah, but it was mostly a consolation prize, about two thousand pounds. First place got ten thousand." "Oh, well, next time you can kick their asses even harder!" Ulrich had to laugh, fighting the desire to not do so. Being a Pencak Silat tournament fighter meant a lot of travelling, a lot of failure, a lot of practicing, and no time for anything else, but since he was going on a break now, he didn't feel the pressure of the tournament circuit bugging like it usually did. The heat of the area lights no longer constricting his mind, letting it wonder freely in the bright sunny blue that hung above their car.

"What about you? Anything new with you?" He asked, hoping to retain his introversion and let the extrovert to his left take the reins of the conversation. "Oh, hell yeah!" Odd exclaimed characteristically, "I got a grant from the arts council in town to help record my next album, so I don't have to pay out of my own pocket for the recording studio!"

"You won't be using that dinky closet space anymore?"

"Nope! I'm gonna get a legitimate studio to record it in, it's gonna be so rad!"

Ulrich chuckled. Good to hear that someone was doing well. "You still talk to the others?" He asked after a pause.

Odd fell into a subdued state and answered, "Oh, yeah, I've got princess producing my stuff and Einstein is the editor of a science journal. We talk all the time! They're excited to see you too!"

"Is that all?"

The wild-haired guy knew where this was going.

"You know, she hasn't said anything about you."

Ulrich was silent.

"How long has it been?"

"About… four years?"

"Christ…"

The city whirred by them, smeared renditions of all the little shops and apartment buildings flanking them. The rest of the ride was quiet, but not peaceful. They stopped in front of an old front gate that led into some deeply neglected school grounds. Vines and plants slowly reclaimed the buildings, and the grass had grown to an absurd height all around. The trees were unwieldy and overgrown, with a solid veil of leaves hiding the concrete from the sun and sky.

"My God. Odd, why?" Ulrich's mood nosedived as he turned to face his friend turned chauffeur.

"What? Didn't want to at least see how the old girl looked these days?"

The German looked out the window. KADIC ACADEMY, the name of the place immortalized in the rusted steel gate. In his head, he pictured a younger version of his self, when his hair was so outgrown and a lot scruffier, drinking hot chocolate with Odd, Jeremie, Aelita, and… well, he wasn't going to dwell on her right now. There'd always be other times for that.

"Can't believe the place got shut down," Ulrich said finally.

"Yeah. I heard the Delmas' family got hit hard after the closure."

"Any idea where everyone went afterwards?"

"The principal retired, a lot of the teachers found jobs elsewhere, and Jim re-joined the military."

"You ever hear from Sissi or Milly or Tamia or any of them?"

"They all went off to college. Speaking of, you hear Milly got a job writing for a newspaper?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she finally became a journalist!"

Ulrich grinned. Again, good to hear some of them were doing better than he was.

Odd started to notice the discomfort in his friend's face, so he puts the car in gear and drives off. The old school shrunk in the rear-view mirror, and Odd turned to Ulrich to insist that he hears the new remix album by Aelita. However, it did nothing to distract the German. His mind is far too focused on dwelling, now.

As they continued onwards to Odd's apartment (which he swore is better than the last one), Ulrich found his mind far and away from his friend's nattering. He wondered to himself, amidst the pulsing beats emanating from the stereo, what she was up to. Where had she gone after the fight? The techno music that swirled in his head put him in a trance tinted with nostalgia, and he fought off the tears, like all the other times. He had gone this long without giving in, and there was no time to start breaking down now. Familiar streets failed to cheer him up, but for Odd's sake, he kept the stoic mask on while letting his mind run free through the same memories and scenarios and all that painful stuff.

The city seemed colder, now.

* * *

Some hour or so later, and they reached the apartment block, and they dragged Ulrich's luggage to the top floor, where Odd's flat was tucked away in a far corner. They poured themselves a few drinks as they made themselves comfy on Odd's funny-smelling futon. It took a moment, but Ulrich did eventually realize that the smell was Odd's foot odor. Just not as bad as he remembered it.

"So, when am I gonna get to see Aelita and Jeremie?" Ulrich asked after taking a few sips of whiskey mixed with coke.

Odd gulped down half a thing of vodka and orange soda. "Soon! they should be on their way right now!"

Ulrich felt some gentle press against his pant leg, and saw a little black cat purring and slinking around his legs. "You got a cat?"

"Well," Odd began before taking another large gulp, "after Kiwi died, I felt like maybe I should get a cat. And you know, she hasn't been a total hassle, ya' know?"

"What's her name?" Ulrich picked up the little kitten and pet it, feeling the little purrs vibrate in his chest.

"Samantha."

"Ah." Ulrich felt a pang as an image of a funeral popped in his head. "You miss her?"

"Only every day," muttered Odd, uncharacteristically.

The German just nodded in solemn response. They sat drinking in silence, up until a knock came rattling from the front door. Odd placed his empty glass down and hopped over some spilled magazines over to the door. "Hey hey! You made it! Mister martial arts is over in the living room!"

Ulrich placed his drink down and arose to meet two familiar faces. Aelita Schaeffer and Jeremie Belpois walked in, lighting up immediately to see their old Lyoko comrade again. Hearty hellos were traded and hugs were distributed all around. Aelita had grown into a fine young woman, and believe it or not, Jeremie had even managed to bulk up a tiny bit. The two lovers sat on the couch, flanking Ulrich in the middle, and they all enjoyed drinks and laughs. Aelita went on about her deejaying career, how Odd's new album was coming together beautifully. Jeremie kept pestering Ulrich about his Pencak Silat tournaments over in Asia, and Odd started up an argument with Aelita over mixing and whether or not 808s sounded better than acoustic drums when played against compressed noisy guitars. The four friends laughed merrily into the late night, and by the time it all was slowing down, their drunkenness was truly starting to show.

Odd and Jeremie, the liquor lightweights they were, had fallen asleep back to back on the floor after a few rounds of tequila shots. Aelita had curled up to Ulrich and they proceeded to finish their third and fourth drinks, respectively.

"Ulrich, can I ask something?" Aelita started.

The brown-hair gulped down the last of his Jack and coke and turned to the pink-hair. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"What did you two fight about?"

Goddammit, thought Ulrich.

"It was nothing. It's ancient history by this point." Ulrich dismissed her.

Aelita didn't say anything, choosing to stay silent in this moment. Until finally-

"You miss her, don't you?"

Ulrich felt another pang. This one was harder, more painful. He wanted to throw his glass, and just watch it explode against the wall. But it looked like Odd might've been him to it, as he saw a dent in the wall right where he was planning to launch it.

"Ulrich, it's been three-"

"Four. Four years."

"Ok… ok, four years. But still, don't you think you should go say hi, at least? Goddammit, Ulrich…" Wow, she was drunk. More drunk than he could ever remember. "She loved you, you know. You loved her. You two were more meant for each other than Jeremie and I, and he's the only guy I've only been with since school!"

Ulrich didn't want to listen. He could do without all of this.

"Odd…" Ulrich began, words slurred into a miasma of alcohol breath and non-cohesive thoughts, "he… said she hasn't said anything… about me…" The drinks were poisoning his thoughts, his ability to think and perceive and remember why he was angry.

"Ulrich, I see it in your eyes." Aelita pressed on. She knew he was hurting, but it was worth a try. "She still thinks of you. She might not say anything, but she still has you in her mind, in her heart."

His head fell into his hands, elbows resting sloppily on his knees. His body jolted with sudden intakes of the foul air. Tears long thought non-existent started to slowly escape freely to the floor below.

"Ulrich... Ulriiiiich…" Aelita leaned in and began rocking the crying German. "You know, Odd lied to you."

"Huh…?"

"She's said quite a lot about you."

Ulrich felt a hybrid of anger and happiness rise up, threatening to burst out from him. "What…? What, Aelita, what has she said?" His hands grasped hers, and she took them into her own, trying to comfort him. She stared him dead in the eyes for added effect.

"She's watched every one of your matches. Every single one. She cheers you on. She asks us if we've spoken with you, what's new on your end and how your tournaments are going. Ulrich, she misses you."

"She… she does?"

"Mhmm." Aelita's face softened into a slight smile as she saw the colour in Ulrich's own face return. A creaky smile broke out across his maw as he took in his friend's words, his mind going over every one of them carefully, trying to make sure he had heard them correctly. God, the fight was so long ago, he almost couldn't remember the exact details. Quick hallucinations of shattering glass and distant screaming echoes rattled in his head, colliding with images of husky breathing against enamoured skin, deep black eyes beholding his entire universe, and the lips of the geisha who had long haunted his mind and soul.

"Oh god…" he weeped, "Oh, god… Yumi…"

* * *

The next morning came like a brick to his head.

Ulrich awoke on the floor of Odd's apartment, head more than spinning. He held his forehead like he was keeping his head from falling to the floor, nearly expecting it to do so, with all the liquor and tears from yesterday to come pouring out into one noxious mustering. Ulrich's eyes focused separately, causing him to blink exaggeratedly to get them both on the same level. Aelita had gone and fallen asleep next to Jeremie on the floor, the lovebirds facing away from each other as they slumbered soundlessly. Odd had his cat Samantha sleeping soundly, purring with every exhale, atop his rising-falling chest. Once he was back to normal (at least as normal you can be with a pounding hangover), the German got to his knees wearily and snuck out the front door. He head for the elevator, took it down to the main floor, and went on his way looking for a place to grease up his insides and soak up the remaining alcohol in his system. A few places looked good, but they had been built and opened in the time of his absence, so nothing struck a chord or even smelt of familiarity. Eventually, he chose upon a tiny café that served tea and grilled sandwiches. The food was alright, but once Ulrich had sat down, he realized he had ordered green tea, just like he used to when he would take her out to dinner or lunch. Guess some reflexes never quite die out.

He was half-way through his sandwich until something rang in his pocket. His cell phone, it was alive with that old beeping sound. He half-expected something along the lines of an X.A.N.A. attack, but he knew better. That was old history, no matter how much like yesterday it felt like to him. Ulrich didn't recognize the number, but he answered anyways. "Hello?"

There was nothing, save for a faint breathing. It shivered, was fragile, like it could break and stop at any moment.

"Ul-Ulrich…?"

Holy fuck, he thought.

"Yumi?"

"Hi… hi, Ulrich."

The world froze. Everything froze, the café he was in, the cars outside, the people bickering about clothes in the table behind him, the sky with its planes ripping across it, everything. It all just froze.

He hadn't heard that voice in ages. In four years, in fact.

"How are you?" He said simply. He wanted to keep composure, at like he wasn't secretly screaming in overjoyed tones at the sound of her voice.

"I'm, uh, I'm good. Real good. You?"

"Oh, I'm alright," replied the German.

"That's good to hear. Um… Aelita, she-"

"Told you I was in town?"

"Uh… yeah-yeah, she, uh, she did…"

Silence infected the conversation. Ulrich didn't know what he was feeling. Something between rage and joy.

Neither said a word. Neither dared to even breath loud enough for the other to hear.

"I…" Ulrich began, only stopping to realize he had _not a fucking clue_ where he was gonna go from there.

"Yes?" Now, this could've been his imagination, but he swore he heard… hopefulness? In her voice?

"I… I would like… to…" Goddammit, Ulrich thought to himself, cursing his very being for his inability to just get it over with.

"… to?"

"See you." Holy shit, he said it. He covered his mouth to keep his breath in. To hold it in until he got whatever answer was coming his way.

"I would like that," was all she said. "Meet me at Kadic. Just for old time's sake."

"Deal. See you tonight?"

"Sure. Say… 8?"

 _I wouldn't miss it for the world_ was what he WANTED to say. Instead he intoned a relieved, "see you then."

* * *

Odd had sent Ulrich a text that, without the proper decoding tools, would've just been a jumble of symbols. But he knew his friend too well, and he knew what the guy had been trying to say: 'meet me here' and then an address. After catching a taxi and making his way down to whatever the address was, Ulrich noticed that he was now in front of a high-tech looking recording studio, _Son Monstre_ , or Sound Monster. He pushed open the door and saw Jeremie standing by the receptionist's desk, waiting for him. "Hey, ready to see what the others are up to? Not even I know!"

Ulrich laughed. "I'm sure it's weird as hell. You know Odd, remember his audition for the Subdigitals?"

"Yeah, but he's gotten a lot better. Or at least that's what Aelita tells me."

Ulrich felt his head rush back to last night. Aelita cradling him as he cried in her lap, moaning on and on about how sorry he was, how he felt it was all his fault. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time to hang with friends and see what music Odd and Aelita had been concocting for some time now.

Turns out Odd had seriously changed his direction in music, as he was now crafting an entire power metal concept album about virtual heroes going to battle with some Eldritch computer virus hellbent on enslaving humanity. This immediately conjured concerned looks in Jeremie's face, but Aelita ensured him that so far, no one's even _considered_ the story having any basis in reality. It seemed that, as always, Odd had gotten away with another one of his crazy ideas. Ulrich even felt a minor twinge of nostalgia at this. His old roommate, the man of a million schemes and twice as many pranks, had snuck past expectations and pulled off another hair-brained stunt. And god be damned if he didn't make himself look damn fine in the end. As Ulrich watched Aelita and Odd argue over guitar tones and orchestral arrangements, he noticed Jeremie sitting on a sofa with his arms crossed. The nostalgia was still in his system, so he tried to think of all the times he'd seen the kid they'd christened 'Einstein' back in school with his laptop, always running his scanner, always on the lookout activated towers. My God, he thought, I actually remember those towers.

"You look so lost without your laptop, telling us about attacks," Ulrich joked to his bespectacled friend.

"Sometimes I hear a phone go off and I'll immediately grab for my backpack, only to realize that I don't carry it around everywhere anymore," Jeremie chuckled. "It's so weird to think that all of that is behind is now."

"Well behind us," Ulrich echoed the sentiment. "You talk to anyone from school still?"

"Only Hervé."

"Hervé?"

"Yup. He's my intern."

The former classmates smirked in unison. Oh, Hervé. Einstein's old rival was always a bitter kid, never could quite match wits with Kadic's brightest and best.

"You know he and Sissi got hitched?" Jeremie broke Ulrich's thoughts with such a bizarre revelation that any nervousness about tonight was gone immediately. A windshield of emotional bugs wiped clean with a spritz of gossip.

"Seriously?"

"Yup," continued Jeremie, now with the German's attention firmly in his grasp. "Sissi and her dad lost everything when Kadic closed, and Hervé, it turns out, comes from a rich family, so you can imagine how those two are doing right now."

Ouch. Poor Hervé, Ulrich thought.

An hour or two passed and lunch break was declared. Odd exclaimed something about a great pasta place down the street, so he and Jeremie took the lead. But as he was about to follow his friends, his mind now a-swirling with alfredo-drenched ravioli, Ulrich felt a hand stop him. The lightness of the grip, the slender imprinting of fingers upon his shoulder, he almost dared to think it was her. But when he spun around, he saw not raven-black, but soft pink.

"Ulrich, I guess I should apologize about telling Yumi-" Aelita started, but Ulrich lightly touched her hand to stop her words in their tracks.

"Don't. You did good. I'm seeing her tonight," Ulrich said near clandestinely.

The girl's face, under all that marshmallow-y pink hair, let rip a smile as wide as the length from one ear to the other. She quickly hugged him, whispered "I wish you two all the luck," then she skipped off to join the others.

In the suffocating silence Aelita left in her wake, Ulrich smiled to himself. A genuine smile, the first in so long.

* * *

Of all the things that he could've thought of saying at this moment, none of them were sounding right. Ulrich had been pacing back and forth for a straight hour, slowly eroding a line into the floor of leaves that still hid away the concrete. He knew he had a way with words… as in, anything that sounded good in his head was destined, _fated_ even, to come out the wrong way through his mouth. He couldn't really think of how often he had dreamed of this moment. Really, it had become such a regular occurrence that he never could keep track. Shit, he thought, what was he gonna say to her? It'd been four fucking years! How could he-

"Hey, been waiting long?"

Ulrich had never spun around faster in his life. Not even during his time in the tournaments had seen such speed from him.

There she was. Yumi Ishiyama. The one and only. The golden goose who got away.

"H-hey," he stuttered, warranting a giggle from the girl.

"Oh, man. It's been so long," she whispered, more to herself than him. Yumi walked over to him and hugged him tightly. Ulrich returned the hug with all his might. It almost seemed like they were trying to keep the other from falling apart.

"How've you been?" Yumi asked.

"Mrmfffmrmf," went Ulrich.

Yumi giggled again and asked him to repeat himself, just not with her shoulder in his mouth.

"I'm doing good. Better, now that you're here."

Yumi and Ulrich could feel the other blushing, the sweet warmth coming off each other's cheeks like mutual flames.

"Hmmm… same," sighed Yumi, before suggesting, "Wanna walk by the old factory?"

Ulrich shook his head 'no.' "Nah, let's just stay around here. Sit on a bench or something."

They nodded in silent agreement, and took off for the nearest bench, right by the old dorm doors. They plopped themselves down, and Yumi, from her backpack, produced a bottle of sake and two shot glasses. Ulrich nodded and took a glass, and they proceeded to fill them up, clink 'em together, then down the shots. Yumi didn't feel a thing, slamming the glass gently upside down upon the tiny space between them. Ulrich, on the other hand, hadn't done this in a while, and promptly choked and gasped for a tiny wad of air.

"You're still not used to this stuff?" Yumi asked.

"Nope," Ulrich barked between coughs, "I don't drink."

"Then why're you drinking now, dummy?"

He clutched his chest and gave her his index finger pointing upwards, a sign to give him a moment, before sputtering out, "Special occasion."

Yumi chuckled. "Fair enough."

Once the burning had given way to minor euphoria, They started looking around the abandoned schoolyard. Hard to believe that this dump was once their home. Well, home away from home, for Yumi.

"So you stayed here, huh?" He finally asked.

"Yeah," she responded, "I stayed to go to college with Jeremie, Odd, and Aelita."

"Hmm."

"Surprised you didn't come with us."

He shrugged. "I'm not smart enough for academia. And don't tell me I should've just studied, we all know I was never one for school."

Yumi nodded as she poured two fresh shots. Raise, clink, down the hatches, and Ulrich's end, one less cough than the first round.

"I saw your last tourney on TV," said Yumi, "you did real well."

"Oh please, I got my ass handed to me."

"Yeah, in the finals. You got really far, farther than I probably could."

"Why _didn't_ you stick with Pencak Silat? You were ten times better than me. Don't you remember all our sparring sessions?"

"I didn't have your drive. Your determination. You weren't just doing it to impress your dad, or to impress me, you did it because you believed in it. I didn't have that ambition in me."

"So, what did you do instead?"

Another round was poured. Raise, clink, gulp. No coughing.

"I went into Japanese studies. Decided to do something that involved my heritage, ya' know?"

"Ah, yeah. Makes sense."

In the moonlight, Ulrich could see her outline like it was a drawing. Her clothes were more tight-fitting than he'd seen before, illuminating those small but sweet curves all the better. The moon had drawn her figure in the darkness, and he remembered all the nights they had spent together.

"You know, I've really missed you," Ulrich said finally, his eyes locked on her face, hoping it would turn towards him. His wish, thankfully, was granted.

"I've missed you too." Something sparkled in her eye before running down her face. "You know," wiping the sparkle away, she continued, "I replay that fight so often in my head. I can still hear the glass shattering against the wall. I can still feeling your hands on my shoulder, telling me to calm down. Telling me how you felt. God, I even dream about the moment you went through the fucking door. Last time I saw you. I dream about you turning back and looking one last time."

Ulrich said nothing, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts with everything he had wanted to say for the past four years.

"You were right to be angry, you know," she went on, "to be angry at me. I fucked up, and I lost you in the process. God, you know… my biggest regret is not remembering why we fought. Why we broke up. I can't remember any of it."

The German soon felt a great pang in his heart. "You… you don't?"

Yumi scooted closer to him, enough that maybe she could hear the pounding in his chest. "I don't. I wish I could."

Ulrich felt himself shake slightly. "Yumi-"

But before he could finish, Yumi had grabbed the sides of his head and forced him into a rough, long-awaited kiss. The sweet hybrid of sake and lavender snaked in through his nose and melted away the rage that was ready to bubble over, along with all of the surroundings. All he could feel was Yumi sneaking in closer to his body, her hand coming to rest upon his chest, as her lips tangled vehemently with his. Ulrich pulled away, but only slightly, to get her to stop and maybe listen to him.

"Yumi… we fought because I said I loved you," Ulrich said finally.

The haze of lust and long-buried longing faded in her as Yumi's eyes returned to meet his. "What…?"

"We… we were in bed, na-naked…" he started, "and I was ready to, uh, enter… and we were drunk… and you were so happy…"

"Ulrich, what're you saying?"

The German reached for the sake bottle and his shot glass and poured himself his own lone round. He downed it, then went on with his recollection.

"You were so happy… smiling… laughing… kissing me… and I thought to myself, 'this moment could never end,' so I… decided to say what I wanted to say… since the moment I met you…"

Yumi could feel him shake and squirm, so she moved the sake bottle and her shot glass to the ground, followed by extracting his glass from his wavering hand and placing it with the other. "Ulrich, sweetie…" She moved in close, arms snaked around him in an almost motherly manner.

"I said, 'Yumi Ishiyama… I love you… and… and you got so mad… so so mad…"

She held him as he started to cry.

She held him like she should've held him four years ago.

* * *

A/N:

No one's gotten the reference in the other story yet.

That's cool.

Anyways.

This is gonna be a two-parter.

Sex and stuff to follow in second chapter.

Stick around if you want.

Read, review, favourite, follow, harass me, whatever.

Love and strychnine,

~Misery Curtains


	2. Part Two

_Four years prior…_

They lay in a kind of drunken embrace, not minding the spilt liquor on the floor. As long as they made sure Kiwi didn't slurp some of it up, they'd be fine. They had gone for a while without saying anything, just trying to keep themselves together, soak up the moment, and just enjoy each other's company for damn once.

Summer break was looming over Kadic Academy, with the gang both anticipating their vacation and fearing their senior year, which was to follow right afterwards. Jeremie and Odd had already lined up internships at a research facility and a recording studio, respectively, while Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita just kind of dragged their feet in getting their summer plans together. Of the three, Aelita was farthest along, for she was in the running to be a resident DJ at a local youth hangout. Not the best pay, but it would be exposure galore. Yumi and Ulrich, they had no concrete plans. Ulrich's parents thought it'd be healthy for him to learn to deal with the workforce, so they planned to have him move into an apartment here in town so he could get a job and have a taste of true responsibility. This turn of events secretly delighted the newfound couple, who'd been hoping to get out of using Ulrich and Odd's dorm-room as their special meetup place.

They had been lying naked together, not moving, just counting heartbeats and being lulled to near-sleep by the rising and falling of each other's bodies. It's a Saturday night, so no classes, and with nowhere to be but here, the two are taking every second together like it's their last. The others were out partying or something, but Ulrich and Yumi decided to stay back, since exams were done and it'd been a while since they'd been, well, _together_.

The moon set the room into a mild pale blaze. All of their clothes had been thrown aside, on to the bed across from his. The little bit of sake they had drunken earlier seemed to have taken full effect, for despite the chilled air, they both felt a great warmth emanating from the other.

"Hey-hey, Ulrich. Ulrich. Ulriiiiiiich," slurred Yumi.

"Mmmmmm," grunted the boy to her side.

"Play me a song."

"Mmm… what song?"

"Just any song."

Ulrich arose from his place in Yumi's arms, reached underneath his bed, and pulled a very dusty keyboard. It was the one he had played in Odd's old band, the Foxtrot Fanatics (the name itself a misheard bastardization of the Pop Rock Progressives, but lovingly adopted by the group in the end). Yumi snorted in laughter when she saw the thing. "Oh my god, you still have that?"

"Hell yeah! I paid for it myself."

"You did not!"

"Yeah, you're right. I actually swiped it from the music room and reported it as stolen."

Yumi laughed again as Ulrich turned on the multi-keyed instrument. "Alright, Liberace," joked the girl, "what're you going to play for me?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't really learn songs anymore. In fact, I don't even know if I remember the song we played together."

"'Mystery Girl?'"

"We should've just called it 'Aelita.' Let's be honest, that's what it was about," chuckled Ulrich, fiddling with some of the buttons and knobs, trying to get some decent piano sound.

"Hmm…" Ulrich sat on the edge of the bed trying to think of what songs he might remember. Honestly, nothing was coming to him. Except… maybe one was still up in that head of his. He positioned his fingers accordingly and began to play.

The chords were melancholic, but not sad. They'd both heard them before so many times, and immediately Yumi joined in.

 _Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

 _And never brought to mind?_

 _Should auld acquaintance be forgot,_

 _and auld lang syne?_

"Ulrich?"

"Yeah, Yumi?"

"Why are you so cheesy?"

The German spun around to face her, struggling not to get distracted by her naked body. "Cheesy?"

"Of all the songs, of all the pieces you could've played, why'd you pick the goddamn New Years song?"

Ulrich shrugged, and returned to playing the keyboard, repeating the same melody. "Maybe I'm secretly a romantic? Maybe I spend all my days reading romance novels, dreaming about true love, and listening to cheesy music. Maybe the martial arts and soccer and cold-as-ice attitude is just part of a cover."

"Bullshit."

They laughed, Ulrich having been caught at his game. "Alright, I don't do any of that. But I am a romantic," he intoned.

"Hmmm… well, given how you do it with me, I could've told you that," purred the girl. Ulrich felt slender nails clawed playfully into his back, between his shoulder blades and down the small of it. "C'mere, lover. It's been too long."

Ulrich put the keyboard down next to the sake bottle, and turned around to embrace Yumi. Neither of them had to look to know that they were both more than ready, more than willing, for this. Ulrich pressed his chest against hers, letting one of his hands grab a breast so that he could play and tease with the girl for a tiny bit. Her lower lip was sucked underneath her top row of teeth, and she bit down, trying to suppress the noises trying to escape, but he knew how to get them out of her. He slid down so his mouth was level with her left breast- ALWAYS the left- and he placed his lips around the nipple, and began biting down gently upon it. Yumi's mouth forces out a long growled moan and she holds her lover's head in its place. "Ah, gentle, babe, you know how that one is," she groaned. He smirked and bite down suddenly, jolting her and letting a sharp 'ah' escape from her mouth. She inhaled quickly through gritted teeth, and began pulling his hair. "God _damn_ you, Ulrich," she nearly screamed, "just put it in already, dammit."

Well, Ulrich thought to himself, the woman knows what she wants. A faint thought in his head wondered if all teenagers just become sex fiends when they turn eighteen. Well, Yumi was nineteen, but she seemed like she was on his level no differently.

"Mmm…" He groaned into her neck. He felt her reach down to his tool to help guide it inwards. He heard her purr in his ear. "Big and strong as always, _mein liebhaber_ ," she cooed. He grinned; she was getting better at her German. His hand, either by instinct or habit, slid down and, with only a finger, hooked himself onto her clit and began moving in tiny rotations. Yumi squirmed and began panting into his ear. "Gah! Fuck! FUCK!" Her legs swung around to further lock him in her embrace. Immediately, Ulrich lifted himself upwards, just by a hair, so he could see the ecstasy in her face. Yumi's eyes slowly broke open and stared him dead in his own.

Here is where he felt a little pang in his heart. His hand, down there, froze in place, and with the other hand placed it on her cheek, sending a blush roaring across her face.

The moment seemed perfect, he figured.

"Yumi…"

"Yes?"

They were frozen, embraced, naked.

"Yumi Ishiyama…"

"Ulrich, what is it?" She giggled, appreciating his attempt at trying to say something.

"I… I love you…"

"Wha… what?"

"Yumi, I love you."

Something snapped. Something was lost in the translation. Something broke apart on re-entry, lost in a sea of despair. Something was to be buried in a landfill of hormones and misunderstanding. Something painful had been speared through one of them, but whom it was, no one could tell.

"Ulrich… Ulrich, what are you saying?"

Oh shit.

"What… what do you mean what am I saying? Yumi, I'm telling you that I'm in love with you! I always have been! I know it's sudden, I know what everyone says about waiting until you're absolutely sure, but Yumi, I am sure! This isn't just me saying this to keep you around, this isn't me just spewing those three little words because you might want to hear them, I'm telling you because… because I've never been so sure of anything in my life! All those times we fought, all those times we caught each other's glances, all those times we've spent together either sparring or fighting X.A.N.A. or hanging out with the others, whatever! I've always loved you! Even when you wanted to just be friends, I didn't fight because I loved you and wanted to respect your wish, no matter how much it _killed_ me inside to do so! Yumi… Yumi, please…"

Ulrich clasped himself around her, fearing the worst, whatever it may be.

Yumi, to his inner horror, was silent, staring blank-like to the ceiling, maybe beyond it.

"Please say something…"

Slowly, but all too surely, Yumi gently pushed Ulrich off and sat up, eyes retaining their endless stare.

Ulrich watched as she curled up, pulling her legs inward to her chest, facing her head away from him. "Yumi…" he whispered, reaching out to her slightly, carefully.

"WHY!?" She screamed, the outburst sending Ulrich back into the wall adjacent to his bed, head banging dully against it. "Why why why WHY? Dammit, Ulrich, why?" Yumi turned quickly and damn near leapt from the bed, stepping on the keyboard and sent her heel straight through one of the built-in speakers. Ulrich watched as her girlfriend went into a rage right before him, all because of his profession.

Yumi didn't say anything for a solid minute before grabbing the sake bottle and launching it straight at a space of wall mere inches away from Ulrich's head. Once the pieces began to fall behind the bed, followed by splatterings of oriental liquor, she turned to him. Eyes glaring with murder, with rage, with… something else.

"Ulrich… what do you think we have?"

"What we have?"

"Yes."

The boy had to think about this. He may've been eighteen but he still thought like a teenager. But now wasn't the time to think of obvious answers. Yumi wanted not an answer, but _his_ answer. And he knew what his answer was.

"Yumi. I think we have something special. Something real, something deep, something that no one else has. A real connection. Now, you know damn well I'm not very good at this. But I'm going to tell you this. I love you, Yumi. And I won't apologize for how I feel."

The rage burned brighter in her eyes. Ulrich, amazingly, still saw the beauty of them, even when they rushed up to him, even when he saw the hands clamp around his neck in their reflection.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?" Yumi screamed as she dragged him to the floor, claws drawing red markings along his throat. "DAMN YOU, HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THOSE WORDS MEAN? DO YOU THINK IF YOU SAY THEM I'LL STAY WITH YOU?"

He fought hard at first, but knew better. He loosened his neck, much to her surprise.

"I know what… _urk_ … they mean… _ack_ … and… I'm… not… taking… them… back…"

She let go once she realized what she had done. Ulrich sputtered and regained some semblance of airflow in his system. He staggered to his feet, as did Yumi, and they both stood in horror at each other. Yumi turned to her hands, red, almost as if they had blood on them, and they looked up to her boyfriend.

"Ulrich… I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know… I didn't…"

"Save it," he growled. The German gathered his clothes, began redressing. Yumi rushed to him, trying to grab his head in her hands, so that she could apologize to him, but he backed away, pushing her arms away with his elbows. He finished dressing himself, then turned to the door, opened it, but stopped before he could leave down the hall.

"Ulrich, please, I don't know what came over me! I-I-I was just… I just got scared for a moment… I got so scared… I didn't realize-"

"I said what I wanted to say. And you've said enough."

And with that, he was gone. And he would be gone for the next four years.

 _Back to the present…_

It was only now that Yumi realized that Ulrich had stopped crying. He was also downing his fourth (or fifth?) shot of sake. The moonlight kept shining down upon them, now high up in the black starred sky. There was silence, save for a light breeze rustling the leaves around them. Yumi sat back, having let him go some while ago during his recollection.

"I can't believe I did that," she whispered to no one. "And then you left. You didn't come back to school the next year. Everyone was wondering where you were. I got non-stop calls from Sissi and Milly, Aelita and Jeremie and Odd all gave me updates about where you had maybe run off to… And I was left to deal with it alone. To face… to face what I had done… to you… my darling Ulrich."

Her 'darling Ulrich' was still silent, not even turning his head to meet her gaze. Finally she stopped and decided to just face forward. Thinking he'll talk when he finds the words-

"Why?"

Yumi whipped her head to the side to find Ulrich's tear-filled eyes penetrating her soul, cracking her heart into a great many pieces.

"Why were you scared?" He asked again.

She didn't say anything, at first. Then gently took his hands into her own.

"Because…" she began, voice wavering, trilling with sadness, "well, you see… when I decided that we should just be friends, I… kinda went to William."

Ulrich felt his jaw drop slightly. "William?!"

Yumi nodded, trying to maintain eye contact through all the shame. "I was so heartbroken… it was really just to fill the void. It wasn't supposed to mean anything. But he said… he said the same thing to me. And I thought he meant it, but when I couldn't accept him as my own, he just up and left. Went straight to some other girl."

The light lit up her tears like little white flames. "I… couldn't bear that happening… with us. That's why I now understand why I acted the way I did. In my rage, you weren't you, but instead William. Those three words, they stirred up such hurt, and such pain, and I became so afraid for a split moment. And I couldn't contain myself. I… lashed out at you, instead of rejoicing. Like I had always wanted. Since we first met."

The two of them sat holding hands, words long buried now uncovered and delivered to their rightful audiences.

"Ulrich…" Yumi whispered, pulling him closer, "I'm sorry for hurting you."

He moved in closer, following her lead. "I forgive you. I just want you back, that's all." He felt himself break apart in her arms, and she in his. Foreheads came together, gently. Yumi smiled through her tears. "I want you back as well. I've always wanted you. Just you."

They kissed. This time, it wasn't forced, but desired. Ulrich felt her body push against his, knocking him onto his back. They lay upon the bench, embraced like old times, their reunion blessed by the moon above. He felt her straddle herself upon his leg, slightly grinding against it, and he slipped a hand underneath her all-too-familiar black shirt to feel her waist and small of her back.

"Mmm…" Yumi moaned, simply, before breaking away and getting up onto her feet. She took Ulrich's hand and lifted him up to his own feet. He could see the undeniable outline of her smile in the moonlight. "Come with me," she whispered. She began dragging him playfully towards one of the abandoned buildings, not minding the bottle of sake and two shot glasses on the ground. "Uh…" began Ulrich's protest, "what about those?"

"We'll get them in the morning."

Yumi pushed open the door to the old dormitory. Something smelt dusty, but more like an old ballroom rather than a school. She led him to the stairs and took him up to the second floor, where his and Odd's old room sat. Ulrich felt wave upon wave of memories flood his system, overloading him with that sense of nostalgia he got when he came by her in Odd's car. "I can't believe this place is unlocked."

"Yeah, and apparently, the beds are still here too."

They reached his old dorm to find the room unlocked. Everything except the desks, closets, and beds had been cleaned out. The tape from Ulrich's old Pencak Silat poster were even there, still stuck to the wall, threatening to break the paintjob if they were to be scratched off from their places. Before he could comment on all the times he's spent here, Yumi had turned to face him and put her arms around his neck.

"I want you to tell me what you said all those years ago. And I promise I won't hurt you again," she whispered.

"Yumi Ishiyama, I love you," Ulrich whispered in return.

Yumi smiled and kissed him, letting the words slip out before contact was made. "I've always loved you, Ulrich Stern."

The embrace welled up great old flames from a time long ago in them both, and their kissing became more hungry and enthralled in each other's taste. Like tasting something succulent from their childhoods, something they had forgotten existed. "God, I've missed this," breathed Ulrich. She just breathed back, smirking. "As did I, _mein liebhaber_."

Ulrich threw off his jacket and Yumi pushed him backwards onto his old bed; he somehow never forgot how it felt underneath him, this shitty old mattress. He laid before her as she straddled him, removing her shirt and bra, letting herself become a seductive shadow by the light pouring in. He did away with his shirt and let her feel his chest again; her hand rippled against abs that were far more defined that they were in their school days. He flipped her over, pinning her down with his body, and undid her pants, sliding a hand deep underneath the silk barrier between flesh and jean, placing his fingers straight to their natural place. The rotations, like all that time ago, came back and she screamed and loved it all. He knew he still had the magic touch, so to speak, when she convulsed and clamped her legs around him, entrapping him, keeping him close to her.

"Nnnn… damn you," she breathed out. Ulrich smirked and took her left breast in his mouth. "I hope you still remember what it's like. With me, I mean," he muttered through a mouthful of voluptuous flesh.

Yumi groaned and laughed. "I've never been with anyone else."

Ulrich stopped to lift his head and look her in the face. "Seriously? No one else? But… but Will-"

"Shhhh… we just kissed, that's all."

Ulrich let out a little sigh of relief as he slid her pants and underwear off, letting her kick them off to the side once they were at her feet. He felt her slender fingers pulled down on his boxers to reveal four years of pent-up frustration, throbbing and ready to burst. "Please," he heard her plead, "I've missed you too much to wait now."

The sensation that ruptured through both of them was enough to shatter the earth. Ulrich felt her convulse all over again. The movement started slow, with their arms and legs around each other tightening with each thrust. But just as a rhythm was starting to entrance the two, Ulrich stopped when a little thought in the back of his head interrupted his worshipping of his lover.

"Wait. Protection…!" He gasped, but Yumi pulled him back into the moment with a kiss.

"Whatever happens tonight," she whispered, "we can manage. Besides, I may or may not have dreamt of having a little Stern of our own."

Ulrich, admittedly, was blindsided by this revelation. Was she really on the same page he was? But now wasn't the time. He had a woman to love, and time to make up for. The rhythm came back, stronger and more impassioned that before, and he could almost taste the way she gasped and screamed his name. His hips bucked faster and harder into her, legs swinging around his waist to keep him from sliding out on accident. Yumi's breathing became sharper, her voice reaching for some higher note, all while repeatedly saying 'fuck' in response to his administrations.

"Yumi… hah hah hah… Yumi, I'm gonna…"

"Do it, please… gah, fuck! Do it, Ulrich!"

"Ah… ah… AH… GAH!"

"ULRICH!"

"YUMI!"

They froze, shaking slightly, before collapsing into each other. Breathing raggedly, they weakly moved their arms tight around each other. Ulrich pulled himself out from her, and fell to her side. Yumi turned and rested her head on his chest, counting the heartbeats and taking in his husky breathing.

"I… I can't believe…" Yumi started.

"Me… neither," concluded Ulrich.

The last four years evaporated from their minds, and a new course was set for them, reaching far into the future. Ulrich was compelled to say something, but noticed Yumi had curled up beside him and fallen asleep. He smiled at her, and through the last of his tears, watched the moon fade in the window as he too fell deeply asleep.

* * *

The next morning came, similar to that other morning, like a brick. Not just to Ulrich, but also to Yumi as well. They awoke in a dusty old dorm room, and it took them both a moment to realize where they were. They took their sweet time getting dressed and moving along out of the building.

"Are we gonna get arrested for having snuck in here?" Ulrich asked.

"Nah," replied Yumi. "We'll be fine. No one does security here."

Just as she said that, and they finally walked out to meet the morning glorious, they noticed a figure, dressed in some green outfit, in the far distance admiring the old administration building. Yumi squinted, trying to make them out. "Is that…"

"Jim?!" Ulrich finished.

Sure enough, one Jim Morales was standing in the sunlight, looking over the building where his old boss used to hold court. He turned to look at the strangers looking at him, and was surprised to see two of his former Pencak Silat students, Ishiyama and Stern.

But he didn't say anything. He just saluted them, put on a military looking hat, and began marching away.

"Goddamn. He really is a military man," intoned Ulrich.

"No kidding," responded Yumi.

Once Jim disappeared behind a corner, they looked at each other and began laughing. Maybe all those times Jim 'rather didn't want to talk about it' had some legitimacy to them after all. Yumi took Ulrich's hand and they began walking to the bench they had sat on the night before. The sake bottle had been emptied, and one of the shot glasses broken, but Yumi shrugged and kicked the bottle over, cracking it.

"No one's gonna know," she said. And they chuckled to each other and walked off towards the gate.

They began walking around downtown and all the old local buildings, the same places they used to terrorize in their youth. They even walked by the factory, but didn't cross the bridge. They chose to revere the decrepit old place from afar, too scared to step even an inch towards the place where they saved the world time and time again.

"It's still ugly," Ulrich muttered. Yumi just "mhmm'd" and they took off with that, smiles plastered on their faces, remembering all the good times.

They eventually made it all the way back to Odd's apartment, sometime around noonish. Ulrich clicked on the speaker to let his host know he was back.

"Mmm… Hello?" Odd sounded groggy, worse so through the subpar speaker.

"Hey, it's Ulrich, let me in."

"Oh… oh! Ulrich, buddy! Shit, sorry man. Yeah, I'll let ya' in."

A loud buzzer went off, and the door clicked, letting the two just enough time to slip through and get inside. They traversed the steps all the way up to the top floor, hand in hand, and finally came to Odd's door. Surprisingly, Odd didn't answer, but Jeremie did. His glasses had been bent slightly from possibly sleeping on them. But once he saw whom Ulrich was with, he straightened himself out before exclaiming, "Yumi!"

"Hey Einstein," she chuckled, waving shyly.

"Well, hey, c'mon in!" Jeremie beckoned them both inside, and they followed accordingly. Aelita and Odd were on the couch nursing headaches from another night of drinking. When they saw Yumi they lit up, Aelita with happiness, Odd with absolute surprise.

"Oh! Yumi! Uh, hey-hey! How're you? Man, it's been ages!"

"Odd, it's only been a week."

"Really? That long?" Odd replied, but soon it became apparent that the jib was up. He sighed, and eventually Ulrich asked the question: "Why'd you lie to me? You said she hadn't said anything about me."

Odd went silent, petting Samantha on his lap, before finally breaking under the collective pressure of everyone's interrogative stares. "Ok, fine, I lied because I knew you were gonna just sulk about Yumi if I even mentioned her off-handedly, and I wanted to make sure you weren't a total buzzkill while you were visiting."

Ulrich finally chuckled and kicked Odd in the shin. "You haven't changed a damn bit."

Odd blushed, embarrassed, but happy to still have his friends altogether again. Then Ulrich turned to Aelita and said, "I guess we both have you to thank for this." He lifted up his hand, still entwined with Yumi's, and the pink-haired girl just blushed and waved it off. "Oh, it was nothing. Just a little playing matchmaker, that's all."

They all laughed. Yumi gently bumped into Ulrich, face red with a smile and looking down. He kissed the top of her head, and everything felt right.

Some hours later, they had all chatted themselves into exhaustion, laughing at Odd playing with the cat, applauding Aelita's latest dance mix, poking fun at Jeremie's still-prevalent misunderstanding of social cues, and celebrating Ulrich and Yumi's reconciliation. When the festivities began to die down, Ulrich took to the balcony to watch the sun peak in the sky, and after a few moments of listening to the cars below, he noticed Aelita come sneaking up behind him.

"So," she started, "last night. You two… uh…"

Ulrich grinned. "Yeah, we did."

Aelita leaned on the railing, elbows first. "Four years, huh?"

"Yup. Four fucking years."

"How do you feel now?"

"Honestly? Content."

"Good… you know, I don't think anyone will know how much you two missed each other?"

He shook his head. "No one ever will. And you know what? It doesn't matter. Because I know this is it. This is our time. No matter the distance, no matter what follows, no matter the strife and hardship, we're gonna survive, her and I."

"Well, of course. You love her. And she loves you."

Aelita put her hand on Ulrich's shoulder, before returning inside to break up an argument between Jeremie and Odd. He could hear Yumi laughing in the distance, and he could feel her eyes quickly glance to his back.

Ulrich smiled.

He was finally doing well for himself.

* * *

FIN

* * *

A/N:

Well, here it is.

The conclusion.

I actually got teared up writing this.

No lie.

The title comes from the Patrick Watson song that I listened to a lot of while working on both parts of this story.

Well, until the next story.

Love and strychnine,

~Misery Curtains


End file.
